For a lot of you (and I'm assuming my readers are a few friends and family here) I am a resource for your gourmet problems. "What wine should I bring to a Thai potluck tonight?", "What restaurant should we go to for our anniversary that won't break the bank?", and even "How late is Safeway open on Sundays" are frequent text messages I receive. However I wasn't always the die hard do-it-yourself gourmet health food enthusiast you know me as today. In university, my idea of cooking was scrambled eggs, or possibly an omelette if I was feeling brave. For the summer I lived alone in Kingston I used the oven to store my excess shoes. I even received a book called "Everything You Need to Know About Cooking but Are Too Afraid To Ask" for my birthday one year. This shouldn't be misinterpreted as me having no appreciation for fine food - quite the opposite actually (I still throw a great wine and cheese soiree and my hostess skills would be the envy of a 1950s women's magazine). However up until I graduated university, I simply lacked the patience to cook for myself and therefore knew very little of food preparation, often to my own detriment. Case in point...
In the summer between our first and second year at university, my 2 girlfriends and I got summer jobs together packing trees into boxes at a tree farm (seriously). One day at lunch as one of my friends was eating a pickle she remarked "Oh no! I spilled pickle on my pants" to which I pointed out the offending substance was the "pickle juice", not the actual pickle. Big mistake. A discussion ensued between Ashley, Andrea and I, within full earshot of all our coworkers, and I was surprised to learn that pickles are actually cucumbers that have been "pickled". And without fail, every time I tell this story, some one asks me with their most serious face: "But do you know the truth about grapes and raisins?"
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